Harvester header with rearwardly extended crop divider

ABSTRACT

A multirow harvester header including a plurality of rearwardly converging crop dividers defining a plurality of crop receiving passageways therebetween. Each passageway has a corresponding pair of conveyors for conveying the crop through the passageway. As a means of conserving space in the area adjacent the crop receiving throat of the harvester, the crop engaging endless loop belt of one of the conveyors of a first and second pair of conveyors terminates substantially forward of the endless loop belt of the opposed conveyor with which it coacts to convey crop. A crop divider houses the short terminating conveyor and has a rear tip extending substantially beyond the rear end of the forward terminating endless loop belt. The tip provides enhanced positive feeding of the crop in the adjacent passageway by maintaining crop stalks in engagement with the opposed conveyor beyond the termination point of the forward terminating conveyor.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 074,265, filed simultaneously herewithin the names of Jerke et al, entitled HARVESTER HEADER WITH TRANSVERSELYINCLINED, OVERLAPPING CONVEYORS and assigned to the assignee of theinvention herein, is directed in a preferred embodiment to a four-row,row crop, forage harvester header with a first and second pair ofconveyors parallel to each other and transversely inclined relative to ahorizontal and to the third and fourth pairs of conveyors parallel toeach other. The second and third pairs of conveyors are verticallyspaced above and in overlapping relationship with the first and fourthpairs of conveyors respectively. The invention disclosed and claimed inapplication Ser. No. 074,265, is disclosed herein in Sections II, IV andVI solely for the purpose of completeness of description of theoperative environment of the invention claimed herein and thus forms nopart of the invention claimed herein.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 074,575, filed simultaneously herewithin the names of deBuhr et al, entitled HARVESTER HEADER WITH A MAINFRAME OF MODULAR SUBFRAMES and assigned to the assignee of the inventionherein, is directed to a forage harvester header with a main frame ofmechanically attached modular subframes. The invention disclosed andclaimed in application Ser. No. 074,575, is disclosed herein in SectionVIII solely for the purpose of completeness of description of theoperative environment of the invention claimed herein and thus forms nopart of the invention claimed herein.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 074,564, filed concurrently herewith inthe names of Guiter et al, entitled HARVESTER HEADER WITH SUPPORTINGSTAND and assigned to the assignee of the invention herein, is directedto a forage harvester header with a stand for supporting the rear of theheader when the header is not attached to a forage harvester. Theinvention disclosed and claimed in application Ser. No. 074,564, isdisclosed herein in Section IX solely for the purpose of completeness ofdescription of the operative environment of the invention claimed hereinand thus forms no part of the invention claimed herein.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 074,561, filed concurrently herewith inthe names of Dolberg et al, entitled FORAGE HARVESTER HEADER WITH UPPERSTALK CONTROL and assigned to the assignee of the invention herein, isdirected to a forage harvester header with an upper stalk control forsubdividing the stalks from the total number of rows accommodated by theheader into at least two groups for conveying into the harvester. Theinvention disclosed and claimed in application Ser. No. 074,561, isdisclosed herein in Section V solely for the purpose of completeness ofdescription of the operative environment of the invention claimed hereinand thus forms no part of the invention claimed herein.

U.S. patent application Ser. No. 074,563, filed concurrently herewith inthe name of Guiter, entitled HARVESTER HEADER WITH DRIVE MECHANISM FOROSCILLATING KNIFE CUTTERS and assigned to the assignee of the inventionherein, is directed to a forage harvester header with an improved drivemechanism for interconnecting two remote cutters to a remote drive inputgear train. The invention disclosed and claimed in application Ser. No.074,563, disclosed herein in Section VII solely for the purpose ofcompleteness of description of the operative environment of theinvention claimed herein and thus forms no part of the invention claimedherein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to harvester headers and more particularly tosuch headers with an improved mechanism for conveying and converging aplurality of rows into a narrow throat of a forage harvester for cropprocessing. The invention has particular utility with forage harvestersbut may also have application to combines.

Heretofore most forage harvesters operating in row-planted, stalk cropssuch as corn utilized alternatively row crop headers capable ofharvesting a maximum of one to three rows at a time. However, currentlyavailable forage harvesters have sufficient capacity and power to becapable of harvesting more than three rows at a time. Accordingly, itwould be desirable to develop a header capable of harvesting a maximumof four or more rows at a time and retrofitable onto currently availableforage harvesters. The width of such harvester cutterheads and the widthof the crop receiving throat into the cutterhead chamber is relativelynarrow as the width has generally remained the same as new headers havebeen introduced which are capable of accommodating larger and largernumbers of crop rows at a time. As an example, the width of the cropreceiving throat on forage harvesters currently available from Deere &Company and others is about 55 cm. The problem becomes more severe thegreater the number of rows the header is designed to accommodate becauseof the greater number of crop conveyors--one pair for each row. Theconveyors must be laterally spaced at the forward end of the headeracross the total width of the rows to be harvested and must be convergedtogether at their rear ends in the small area adjacent to the harvesterthroat. Also, the increased volume of crop material which must beconverged together per unit time into the throat increases thedifficulty of providing clog-free feeding. For example, when three-rowheaders were introduced which were capable of being retrofitted on theharvesters used in the past for only two-row headers, a number ofsolutions were developed as exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,117. Thepatent discloses a header with three pair of conveyors used to conveyand converge, respectively, three individual rows of crop into thenarrow harvester throat. The discharge ends of each pair of conveyorsare crowded into a relatively narrow discharge zone adjacent the throatand the middle pair of conveyors is spaced above and partially overlapsthe outer two pair of conveyors. In addition, the discharge ends of themiddle pair of conveyors is spaced slightly forward of the dischargeends of the outer two pair of conveyors.

In the design of such three-row headers and in the design of a four ormore row crop headers, the overriding problem is how to position thenecessary number of pairs of conveyors in an area slightly forward ofand adjacent to the harvester throat so as to provide a positiveclog-free feeding of the individual rows of crop material into theharvester throat. It is generally accepted that the closer the dischargeends of the conveyors are positioned to the throat, the higher theprobability that efficient clog-free conveyance of the crop into thethroat may be obtained. This is because positive feeding of the cropmaterial in the conveyors can only be obtained up to but not beyond thedischarge ends of the conveyors and beyond that the crop material fromany one pair of conveyors must be pushed into the throat by cropdischarge from that same pair of conveyors or pulled forwardly into thethroat with crop being positively fed in adjacent pairs of conveyors.

One approach to the design of a four-row header is shown in U.S. Pat.No. 4,106,270. In this design, the two inner pairs of conveyors arespaced below that of the two outer pair of conveyors and have theirdischarge ends spaced forwardly of the crop discharge ends of the twoouter pair of conveyors. Also, each of the two outer pair of conveyorspartially overlap respectively the adjacent one of the inner pairs ofconveyors.

A second prior art approach to the design of a four-row header isdisclosed and claimed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 074,265,Sections II, IV and V. Application Ser. No. 074,265, discloses generallyand claims an experimental design of such a header, except for theexperimental design of the rear end of two of the crop dividers (overwhich the invention disclosed and claimed in this present application isan improvement) as explained in more detail in connection with SectionIII herein. Briefly, it was found that the prior art experimental designwas subject to clogging under certain crop conditions.

OBJECTS AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide an improvedheader for four or more rows of crop which may be retrofitted oncurrently available commercial forage harvesters having a relativelynarrow crop receiving throat and accommodating two- and three-rowheaders.

Another object of this invention is to provide an improved header whichhas means for positively feeding each individual row of crop through acrop receiving passageway to a crop exit position adjacent to anddirectly in front of the crop receiving throat of the harvester.

These and other objects of the invention which will be apparent from aconsideration of the following detailed description in conjunction withthe accompanying claims are accomplished by a multirow header includinga plurality of generally fore-and-aft downwardly and forwardly inclinedcrop dividers which converge at their rear ends. A plurality of cropreceiving passageways are defined between adjacent ones of the cropdividers. Each passageway has a crop entry and a crop exit at itsforward and rearward ends. A coplanar pair of planar conveyors aredisposed on opposite sides of each passageway for converging severedcrop along the passageway and into the throat of a harvester. A firstand second adjacent pairs of the conveyors are mounted on a first framesection and preferably lie in parallel planes. A third and fourth pairsof the adjacent conveyors are mounted on a second frame section andpreferably lie in parallel planes. The first, second, third and fourthpairs of conveyors correspond respectively to the first, second, thirdand fourth passageways. Each of the conveyors comprise an endless loopmeans extending along one side of the passageway defined in part therebyfor engaging and converging crop from the crop entry to the crop exit ofthe passageway in conjunction with the endless loop means extendingalong the other side of the passageway defined therebetween. As a meansof conserving space in the area adjacent the crop receiving throat ofthe harvester, the endless loop means of one of the conveyors of thefirst and second pair of conveyors terminates substantially forward ofthe endless loop means of the opposed conveyor with which it coacts toconvey crop. A first divider houses the outer conveyor of the first pairof conveyors. A second divider houses the inner conveyor of the firstpair of conveyors and the outer conveyor of the second pair ofconveyors. A third divider houses the inner conveyor of the second pairof conveyors and the inner conveyor of the third pair of conveyors. Afourth divider houses the outer conveyor of the third pair of conveyorsand the inner conveyor of the fourth pair of conveyors. A fifth dividerhouses the outer conveyor of the fourth pair of conveyors. In accordancewith the features of this invention, one of the first, second and thirddividers has a rear tip extending substantially beyond the rear end ofthe forward terminating endless loop means, thereby providing enhancedpositive feeding of crop material in the corresponding passageway whileenabling the conservation of space in the area adjacent the cropreceiving throat of the harvester by terminating one of the conveyorssubstantially forward of the area adjacent the crop receiving throat.The rear tip functions to maintain crop stalks in engagement with theopposed conveyor beyond the termination point of the forward terminatingconveyor.

A preferred embodiment of this invention is in a four-row header for aforage harvester. The forward terminating endless loop means is theendless loop means of the outer conveyor of the second pair of conveyorsand the second divider is provided with the rearwardly extending tip. Inaddition, the endless loop means of the inner conveyor of the fourthpair of conveyors terminates substantially forward of the endless loopmeans of the opposite conveyor of the fourth pair of conveyors and thefourth divider has a rear tip extending substantially beyond the rearend of the endless loop means of the outer conveyor of the fourth pairof conveyors. Also, the first and second passageways intersect forwardlyof the harvester throat and the third and fourth passageways intersectforwardly of the harvester throat. The rear tips of the second andfourth divider terminate adjacent the intersection of the first andsecond passageways and the third and fourth passageways, respectively.Each passageway is thus provided with positive feeding from its cropentry to its crop exit which is positioned adjacent the crop receivingthroat of the harvester. In addition, the crop fed through the first andsecond passageways is conveyed and converged independently of the cropbeing conveyed and converged in the third and fourth passageways.Thereafter, the crop from the first and second passageways and from thethird and fourth passageways is converged in the harvester throat. Itcan thus be seen that this invention provides efficient utilization ofthe space adjacent the crop receiving throat of the harvester in whichthe crop conveying passageways must be terminated while at the same timeproviding means for positively conveying the crop through each of thepassageways.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a prior art forage harvester, a priorart two-row header and a prior art three-row header.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a four-row header in accordance witha preferred embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 3A is a schematic, perspective view of the crop conveyors of theheader shown in FIG. 2.

FIGS. 3B and 3C show rear and front elevations, respectively, of theheader of FIG. 2 taken along lines 3B--3B and 3C--3C, respectively, ofFIG. 3A.

FIG. 4 shows a plan view of the header shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 shows a fragmentary, plan view of the header shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 shows a fragmentary, schematic, rear elevation of the header ofFIG. 2 taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 5 with certain components omittedin FIG. 5 shown herein for clarity.

FIG. 7 shows a fragmentary side elevation of the header shown in FIG. 2taken along line 7--7 of FIG. 5.

FIG. 8 shows a fragmentary elevational view of the header shown in FIG.2 taken along line 8--8 of FIG. 7.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Such terms as forward, rearward, vertical, horizontal, lateral are usedfor convenience and are determined by reference to the machine in itsstandard operating position and relative to the direction of forwardtravel. The terms left and right are determined by standing at the rearof the machine and facing in the direction of travel.

I. General

Referring to FIG. 1, a prior art forage harvester 10, three-row row cropheader 13 and two-row row crop header 15 are shown. The harvester 10 andheaders 13, 15 are used to harvest a variety of row crops such as corn,sorghum, sugar cane and the like. Headers 13, 15 are alternatively andinterchangeably mountable on harvester 10, the details of constructionof which are shown in greater detail in U.S. Pat. No. 3,701,239, thedisclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.Harvester 10 has a generally rectangular inlet or throat 17 which spansthe width between opposite side walls 19, 21. A pair of transverselyoriented, vertically spaced feed rolls 23 are mounted in throat 17.Headers 13, 15 are interchangeably mounted on harvester 10 using aconventional attaching bracket such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,791,117,the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference andwhich also describes header 13 in greater detail. As is well known, acrop entering through throat 17 passes between feed rolls 23 to a secondpair of feed rolls (not shown) which feed the crop over a shear bar (notshown) to a cylinder-type cutterhead (not shown) for cutting the cropinto small pieces.

The invention herein is explained in reference to and embodiedpreferably in a four-row row crop header such as header 25 shown in FIG.2. It will be recognized by those skilled in the art that while thisinvention has primary application to four-row headers, it may be used inthe design of headers accommodating more or less than four rows.

Header 25 is mountable interchangeably and alternatively, with headers13, 15 on harvester 10. Header 25 comprises five transversely spaced,side by side, generally fore-and-aft, rearwardly converging, downwardlyand forwardly inclined crop dividers 27, 29, 31, 33, 35 and forconvenience are hereinafter referred to as first, second, third, fourthand fifth crop dividers from left to right on the machine. Crop dividers27, 29, 31, 33, 35, respectively, include fenders 37, 39, 41, 43, 45,which terminate respectively in points. As is well known, the points ofthe dividers ride along the ground between the rows of standing crop asthe harvester/header combination advances to separate down and tangledcrop. The fenders present smooth upper surfaces which allow the crop toslide rearwardly along the top surface of the fenders through an opening44 in a rear attachment frame 46 of header 25 and into throat 17 ofharvester 10. The space between crop dividers 27 and 29 form a generallyfore-and-aft, upwardly and rearwardly inclined crop receiving passageway47 with a crop entry 48 and crop exit 55. Similarly, a second passageway49 with an entry 50 and exit 55 (in common with the exit of passageway47) is defined between crop dividers 29, 31; a third passageway 51 withan entry 52 and exit 57 is defined between crop dividers 31, 33; and afourth passageway 53 with an entry 54 and exit 57 (in common with theexit of passageway 51) is defined between crop dividers 43, 45. Allpassageways 47, 49, 51, 53 converge rearwardly because the spacingbetween the four crop rows which are respectively received in thepassageways is substantially greater than the width of harvester throat17. In the illustrated embodiment, the crop entries 48, 50, 52, 54 ofthe passageways (center to center) are spaced about 75 cm. apart toaccommodate 75 cm. rows in the crop. The width of the throat, i.e., thedistance between the side walls 19, 21 is approximately only 55 cm.Passageways 47, 49 converge together or intersect at exit 55 andpassageways 51, 53 converge together at exit 57. Exits 55, 57 are spacedforwardly of the plane of the throat 17, a distance of 18 cm. in theillustrated preferred embodiment.

A pair of power driven rollers 59, 61 are provided on each side ofheader opening 40 to aid in directing and moving down crop materialwhich may overlap fenders 37, 45.

An upper stalk control 60 is attached to the top of rear frame 46 to aidin converging crop stalks as they are conveyed through passageways 47,49, 51, 53 and to insure that the stalks are fed butt end first byholding the top of the stalks out of opening 44 until the stalk buttsare fed into throat 17.

II. Crop Conveyors

Reference is now made to FIG. 3A showing a perspective view of header 25with crop dividers 27, 29, 31, 33, 35 removed exposing a plurality ofschematically illustrated pairs of coplanar, downwardly and forwardlyinclined conveyors 63, 65, 67, 69 (refered to hereinafter forconvenience as first, second, third and fourth). Reference is also madeto FIG. 4 which shows in fragmentary form a pair of conveyors in fulldetail as would be seen with only the crop dividers 27, 29, 31, 33, 35removed. The first pair of coplanar conveyors 63 includes an outerconveyor 71 and an inner conveyor 73 disposed on opposite sides ofpassageway 47 and having inner runs alongside passageway 47 for engagingand moving crop therein to the crop exit 55 of passageway 47. Similarly,pair of coplanar conveyors 65 includes outer conveyor 75 and innerconveyor 77 disposed on opposite sides of the second passageway 49; thethird pair of coplanar conveyors 67 includes inner conveyor 79 and outerconveyor 81 disposed on opposite sides of the third passageway 51 andthe fourth pair of coplanar conveyors 69 includes inner conveyor 83 andouter conveyor 85 disposed on opposite sides of the fourth passageway53. For convenience of description, each conveyor 71, 73, 75, 77, 79,81, 83, 85 as schematically illustrated has a major component which issubstantially longer and wider than it is thick and, thus, is referredto herein as being substantially planar (realizing that it might be moreaccurate to refer to a plane of symmetry or upper and lower boundaryplanes defined by the top and bottom surfaces, respectively, of theconveyors).

Important features of the conveyor design are (1) the conveyors of eachpair are parallel, (2) the first and second conveyor pairs 63, 65 areparallel, (3) the third and fourth conveyor pairs 67, 69 are parallel,and (4) conveyor pairs 63, 65 are inclined transversely relative to ahorizontal and relative to conveyor pairs 67, 69 which are alsotransversely inclined relative to a horizontal. Reference is now made toFIGS. 3A and 3B (which are rear and front elevations of FIG. 3,respectively) where these features are illustrated in reference to thepreferred embodiment. The planes of the conveyors intersect along lineslying in a vertical plane passing through a longitudinal center lineA--A. In the illustrated embodiment, the plane B formed by conveyor pair63 forms an angle C equal to about 61/2 degrees with a horizontal lineD--D. Similarly, the plane E formed by conveyor pair 69 forms an angle Fequal to about 61/2 degrees with horizontal line D--D. Although notillustrated, the lateral inclination of conveyor pair 65 is the same asthat of conveyor pair 63 and thus forms an angle of about 61/2 degreeswith horizontal line D--D. Similarly, the lateral inclination ofconveyor pair 67 is equal to that of conveyor pair 69 and, thus, alsoforms an angle of 61/2 degrees with horizontal line D--D. The relativelateral inclinations of the conveyor pairs is a key factor in theability to convey and converge four rows of crop into the narrow throat17 of harvester 10 resulting from the fact that the crop exits 55, 57 ofpassageways 47, 49, 51, 53 are closer to center line A--A of header 25compared to prior art conveyor designs having horizontal transverseorientation (assuming the crop exits are substantially coplanar relativeto a transverse vertical plane). It will be recognized by those skilledin the art that the angles of lateral inclination (FIG. 3B) of theconveyors relative to line D--D may be varied to vary the spacingbetween exits 55, 57.

Another key feature contributing to the efficient use of the areaadjacent opening 44 and the ability to converge and convey four rows ofcrop material into narrow opening 44 is provided by the elevation andoverlapping of conveyor pair 65 over conveyor pair 63 and by theelevation above and overlapping of conveyor pair 67 over conveyor pair69. Two design features are utilized to enable the overlapping of theconveyor pairs on the left side and the overlapping of the conveyorpairs on the right side. The first is the design of the conveyor drivemeans such that (1) conveyors 77, 73 have a common drive shaft 102 and(2) conveyors 79, 83 have a common rear drive shaft 151. The second isthe termination of the rear end of conveyor 75 substantially forward ofthe adjacent conveyors 71, 73 and 77 and the termination of the rear endof conveyor 81 substantially forward of the adjacent conveyors 79, 83,85. While the feature of the elevation and overlapping of one conveyorpair over an adjacent conveyor pair as explained herein has primaryapplication to a four-or-more-row header, it will be appreciated bythose skilled in the art that it is equally applicable to a two-rowheader. These features will become more apparent from the followingdetailed description of the conveyors.

Each conveyor is comprised of an endless loop means and a drive meansincluding front idler and rear drive shafts. The front idler and reardrive shafts on the left side of header 25 are all mutually parallel.The front idler and rear drive shafts on the right side are all alsomutually parallel. Conveyor 71 is illustrative and is comprised of anendless loop means 87 trained about a rear drive shaft 89 and frontidler shaft 91. Rear and front shafts 89, 91 are provided with drivemember 93 and idler member 95, respectively, through which drivingengagement is provided between the drive shafts 89, 91 and the endlessloop means 87. A preferred embodiment of endless loop means 87 isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,339,354, the disclosure of which is herebyincorporated by reference herein, and referring now to FIG. 4, comprisesa chain 97 trained about front and rear drive sprockets or drive member93 and idler member 95. A belt 99 is attached to chain 97 at intervalsand forms generally outwardly extending sinusoidal loops which extendinto the passageway 47 and intermesh with the loops in a similar belt101 attached to a chain 103 of adjacent conveyor 73. The construction ofthe endless loop means for the remainder of the conveyors are 75, 77,79, 81, 83, 85 is conventional and identical to that described forconveyors 71, 73 and will not be described in further detail herein. Itwill be apparent to those skilled in the art that there are othercommercially acceptable constructions of endless loop means such asillustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,106,270 and while less preferred, may beused interchangeably with the preferred design described above inaccordance with the features of this invention. In addition, while theprovision of driving engagement between endless loop means 87 and shafts89, 91 through chain 97 and sprockets 93, 95 is greatly preferred, itwill be recognized that endless loop belts and pulleys or otherequivalents may be substituted therefor.

Conveyor 75 comprises an endless loop means 107 trained about a reardrive shaft 109 with drive member 111 thereon and a forward idler shaft113 with a drive member 115 thereon. The rear termination of conveyor 75is substantially forward of the rear termination of adjacent conveyor71, 73, 77 so that passageways 47, 49 intersect slightly forward ofthroat 17.

Conveyor 77 which cooperates with conveyor 75 is comprised of an endlessloop means 117 trained about a forward idler shaft 119 with a drivemember 121 and rear drive shaft 102 with a second drive member 123provided thereon coaxial with drive member 103 such that rear driveshaft 102 becomes a common drive shaft for conveyor 77 and conveyor 73.

The right half of header 25 is a mirror image of the left half and willnot be described in great detail. Conveyors 85, 83, 81 and 79 arecomprised of endless loop means 125, 127, 129, 131 which are trainedabout four mutually parallel forward idler shafts 133, 135, 137, 139with idler members 141, 143, 145, and 147 provided thereon and mutuallyparallel rear drive shafts 149, 151, 153 with drive members 155, 157,159, 161 provided thereon. With this conveyor arrangement, passageways51, 53 intersect and thereby converge crop material conveyed thereinslightly forward of the throat 17. Thus, as the machine advances andfour rows of row crops enter the respective passageways, two of the rowsare initially converged together in passageways 47 and 49 forward ofthroat 17; two are converged in passageways 51, 53 forward of throat 17;and thereafter the converged crop from the left half of the header isconverged with the converged crop from the right half within throat 17.

Another advantage resulting from the use of transversely inclined,vertically spaced and overlapping conveyors as in the preferredembodiment is that it is possible to determine the transverseinclination such that the conveyors terminate at the forward end in acommon transverse vertical plane (FIG. 3A) and at an equal distanceabove the ground (FIG. 3C). As will be described in more detail later,this orientation of the forward conveyor ends is important to locatingcrop cutters 163, 165, 167, 169 adjacent to the forward ends and in thesame orientation.

Reference is now made to FIGS. 5 and 6 wherein additional components ofthe conveyor drive means are shown. In FIG. 5, for clarity, the inputdrive gear trains are exposed by (1) removal of crop dividers 27, 29,31, 33, 35 and of the rear drive members for each conveyor, (2) showingthe endless loop means and associated front idler shafts of eachconveyor in schematic (dotted lines) form, and (3) removal of the top ofsealed gear cases in which an input drive gear train is enclosed. FIG. 6is a view taken along line 6--6 of FIG. 5 except that certain of therear drive shafts (not shown in FIG. 6) have been illustrated. Referringto the right side of header 25, rear drive shaft 149, 151, 153 areprovided with coaxial input gears 173, 175, 177, respectively, spacedbelow drive members 155, 157, 159, respectively (FIGS. 3A, 6). Alsointerconnected in the input drive gear train for conveyor pairs 67, 69is an input gear 179 for a cutter drive means for cutter means 167, 169.An idler gear train 181 including idler gears 185 and 187 couples inputgears 173, 175, 177, 179. Idler gear train 181 and input gears 173, 175,177, 179 are housed in a sealed gear case 189 and are driven throughbevel gears 191, 193 (FIG. 6) housed in bevel gear case 195. Bevel gear191 is mounted coaxially of input drive shaft 197 which is coaxiallycoupled with rear drive shaft 149 by a splined coupling hub 196.

The input drive gearing for conveyor pair 63, 65 is a mirror image ofthat provided for conveyor pairs 67, 69 and will be only brieflydescribed herein. Rear drive shaft 89, 102, 109 are provided with inputdrive gears 201, 203, 205, respectively, and are coupled with an inputgear 207 for a cutter drive for cutter means 163, 165 through an inputgear means 209 comprising input gears 211, 213. The input gear train ishoused in a second sealed gear case 215 and is driven through a pair ofbevel gears (not shown) provided in a bevel gear housing 217. The twosets of bevel gears are interconnected and are synchronously driveablevia drive shaft 219. Drive shaft 219 is driveable through a conventionalfriction clutch 221 which is in turn connected to the drive train (notshown) of harvester 10. It will be recognized by those skilled in theart that while a gear train for the cutter and conveyor input drivetrains is preferred, drive trains of chain and sprockets or otherequivalents may be substituted therefor.

It will also be appreciated that the compact, centralized, coaxialdisposition of the conveyors and cutter input drive trains enablepractical enclosure in sealed gear cases promoting less maintenance andlonger gear life. Also, easy access is permitted to the gear trains whenrepair or maintenance is necessary.

III. Crop Dividers

Reference is now made to FIG. 4 which shows in schematic form theplacement of fenders 37, 39, 41, 43, 45 over conveyors 71, 73, 75, 77,79, 81, 83, 85. In accordance with another feature of this invention,fender 39, which covers conveyors 73, 75, and defines, along its rightside, one side of passageway 49, has a rear tip 171 extendingsubstantially beyond the rear end of endless loop means 107 of conveyor75 and terminating near the intersection of passageways 47, 49(coterminous with crop exits 55). It has been found that rear tip 171coacts with the sinusoidal belt of endless loop means 117 to providepositive feeding of crop material through passageway 49 beyond thetermination of endless loop means 107 up to the intersection ofpassageways 47, 49 at the termination of rear tip 171. Crop reachingthis point is easily fed into opening 44 and throat 17. Similarly,fender 43 has a rear tip 172 which coacts with endless loop means 131 toprovide positive feeding of crop through passageway 51 beyond thetermination of endless loop means 129 up to the intersection ofpassageways 51, 53 near the termination of rear tip 172 coterminus withcrop exit 57. Thus, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the artthat rear tips 171, 172 contribute respectively to the positiveclog-free feeding of crop material through passageways 49, 51 despitethe termination of endless loop means 107, 129 substantially forward ofendless loop means 117, 131.

In accordance with the prior art experimental design described in theBackground of the Invention, dividers were provided identical todividers 39, 43 except that they terminated directly above drive members111, 159, respectively (i.e., rear tips 171, 172 were omitted). It wasthus discovered in accordance with this invention that the clogging ofthe experimental header under certain crop conditions was apparently dueto insufficient positive feeding in the rear portion of passageways 49,51 beyond endless loop means 107, 129, respectively.

IV. Powered Rollers

Referring again to FIGS. 2, 3A, the pair of generally upright flutedrollers 59, 61 are disposed forwardly of walls 40, 42 and extendupwardly from the rearward end of fenders 37, 45. The upper end ofrollers 59, 61 are supported in brackets adjacent the upper stalkcontrol 60. In the illustrated embodiment, the distance between theperipheries of the rollers immediately above passageways 47, 53 isapproximately 58 cm. and the distance between the peripheries of therollers immediately below the upper stalk control is approximately 48cm. that is, the rollers are inclined upwardly and transversely towardeach other. The transverse inclination of rollers 59, 61 tends to causethe crop material to slide down and compress for more efficient passageof the crop into throat 17. As indicated above, throat 17 in theillustrated embodiment is about 55 cm., and thus rollers 59, 61 arespaced immediately in front of sides 19, 21 of throat 17 to aid in thefinal convergence of the crop prior to entering throat 17. Roller 59, 61(FIGS. 3A, 6) comprise axial shafts (one not shown and 225) which extenddownwardly from the roller and are coaxially connected to rear driveshafts 89, 149 of conveyors 71, 85, respectively. Thus, rollers 59, 61are driven in the same direction as endless loop means 87, 125 so thatthe inner sides of the roller move rearwardly. In operation, crop isengaged by the inner side of the rollers as it leaves passageways 47,49, 51, 53 to assist in the convergence and feeding of the crop intothroat 17. Roller 59, 61 coaxial, respectively, with drive shafts 89,149 in addition to being transversely inclined toward each other arealso somewhat upwardly and forwardly inclined.

V. Upper Stalk Control

Referring to FIG. 2 again, upper stalk control 60 extends forwardly fromrear frame sides 40, 42 and includes a pair of forwardly diverging arms231, 233, a central transverse portion 235 connecting arms 231, 233 anda centrally disposed wedge member 237. Arms 231, 233 are respectivelydisposed above and extend generally parallel to crop dividers 27, 35.Wedge member 237 is disposed above and extends generally parallel tocrop divider 31. Wedge 237 and arm 233 engage the upper portion ofupright crops entering passageways 47, 49 and converge the crop inwardlyas the butt portions are converged upwardly and rearwardly along thesepassageways. Similarly, wedge 237 and arm 231 engage the upper portionsof upright stalks entering passageways 51, 53 and converge the cropsinwardly as the butt portions are converged upwardly and rearwardlyalong these passageways. When the upper portions of the crop reach thetransverse central portion 235, rearward movement is blocked while theconveyors in all passageways continue to move the butt portions. Thisresults in the crop being fed butt first through opening 44 and intothroat 17. The centrally disposed wedge acts to subdivide the four-rowheader 25 into two somewhat independently functioning halves. Wedge 237cooperates with passageways 47, 49 to converge the crop in the two rowson the left side together and cooperates with passageways 51, 53 toconverge the crop in the two rows on the right side together prior toall four rows of crop being converged together in throat 17.

VI. Crop Cutter Means

Reference is again made to FIGS. 5, 3C, which show a plurality of cuttermeans for severing crop entering passageways 47, 49, 51, 53 includingoscillating knife cutters 163, 165, 167 and 169 disposed below andadjacent to crop entries 48, 50, 52, 54 of passageways 47, 49, 51, 53,and below and adjacent the point at which a crop stalk is engaged byeach pair of conveyors. As explained above, the orientation of theconveyors enables cutters 163, 165, 167, 169 to be collectivelylocatable in one transverse vertical plane at an equal distance abovethe ground. This promotes uniform crop cutting height and crop feedinginto the header. Further, each cutter is disposed parallel to itscorresponding conveyor pair (i.e., the cutting plane of the cutter isparallel to its adjacent pair of conveyors).

A preferred embodiment of the cutter 163, 165, 167, 169 is disclosed andclaimed in U.S. application Ser. No. 066,138, filed on Aug. 13, 1979, inthe name of Dolberg, et al, and assigned to assignee of the inventionherein, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by referenceherein.

Cutter 163 is exemplary of the construction of the remaining cutters andis comprised of two fixed knives 241, 243 and a centrally disposedoscillating knife 245. Knife 245 is oscillatable relative to fixedknives 241, 243 and severs crop stalks with a scissor-like action.

VII. Cutter Drive Means

Referring to FIGS. 3C, 5, the cutter means for severing crop enteringpassageways 47, 49 further includes cutter drive means 247 comprised ofa first reciprocatable rod 249 connected between cutter input gear 207and cutter 165. A second reciprocatable rod 251 is interconnectedbetween cutters 165, 163 to provide for synchronous oscillation. Pivotalconnection of rod 251 to cutter 163 is provided via a pivot arm 250connected to and pivotable with cutter pivot 253. Pivotable connectionof rod 251 with cutter 165 is provided by pivotable connection of rod251 to a first end 257 of a crank 255 connected to and pivotable with apivot 256 of cutter 165. Pivotable connection of rod 249 with cutter 165is provided by pivotable connection of rod 249 to a second end 261 ofcrank 255. Pivotable connection of rod 249 with gear 207 is provided viaa pivot arm 263 connected to and rotatable with gear 207. In operation,input gear 207 is rotated and causes rod 249 to be reciprocatedessentially longitudinally of the header 25. With reciprocation of rod249 rearwardly, crank 255 is moved clockwise (in FIG. 5). Clockwisemovement of crank 255 moves a knife 264 of cutter 165 (fixed to pivot256) clockwise and also moves rod 251 to the right (in FIG. 5). Movementof rod 251 to the right in turn moves arm 250 clockwise (FIG. 5) andalso oscillating blade 245 (fixed to arm 250 via pivot 253) clockwise.Forward movment of rod 249 moves crank 255 and pivot arm 250counterclockwise which in turn moves blades 264 and 245counterclockwise. The cutter means for cutters 167, 169 includes acutter drive means 270 identical to cutter drive means 247 and will notbe explained further herein. It can be seen that cutter drive means 247provides a simple, trouble-free drive for two remotely disposedoscillating cutters which are in turn remotely disposed from spur gearcase 215. The remote disposition of spur gear case 189 from cutter 163,165 is also important so that the input drives for all components of theheader are disposed adjacent to each other at the rear end of the headerpermitting their enclosure in a sealed gear case. The rear dispositionof the gear case provides still other advantages, namely, (1) it is inclose proximity to the conveyor drives, (2) it gives sufficientclearance above the ground, and (3) it allows easy access formaintenance and repair.

VIII. Header Frame

The header frame is constructed from a plurality of modular-typemechanically attached subframes. Reference is now made to FIG. 5 inwhich the header frame is illustrated.

The header frame is comprised of spur gear cases 189, 215, rearattachment frame 46 and a plurality of generally fore-and-aft,downwardly and forwardly inclined row unit frames 301, 303, 305, 307.Gear cases 189, 215 form the basic central subframe of the header frameand are mechanically attached together at points 309, 311 with bolts.Rear attachment frame 46 includes a pair of fore-and-aft extending arms312, 313 which are attached to the outer sides of the gear cases 215,189 along with row unit frames 301, 307. Specifically, arm 312, row unitframe 301 are attached to gear case 215 at a plurality of points 315,317, 319. Similarly, arm 313 and row unit frame 307 are attached to gearcase 189 at a plurality of points 323, 325, 327.

Row unit frames 303, 305 are attached to forwardly facing sides of gearcases 215, 189, respectively. Specifically, row unit frame 303 isattached to gear case 215 at points 329, 331, 333 and row unit frame 305is attached to gear case 189 at points 335, 337, 339. In addition, rowunit frames 301, 303 are mechanically attached together at one or morepoints such as point 321 and row unit frames 305, 307 are mechanicallyattached at one or more points such as point 340.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the framesubunits must be mechanically attached at a number of points. Theattachment points illustrated herein are intended to be merelyrepresentative of the attachment principle and not necessarily of thenumber and exact position of the points at which attachment may berequired. Also, while mechanical attachment with bolts is preferred,other equivalent means may be substituted therefor.

It will also be appreciated that this modular approach to constructionof the header frame will provide improved dimensional accuracy,simplicity and cost savings in the manufacture of a header frame incomparison to techniques which utilized a massive weldment for theframe.

IX. Header Stand

A stand is provided for supporting the rear end of header 25 when notattached to harvester 10. Reference is now made to FIG. 5 which shows apair of stands 351, 353 attached to the bottom surface of row unitframes 301, 307, respectively, and here shown in storage position. Stand351 is a mirror image of stand 353 and for convenience and brevity onlystand 351 will be described in detail herein. Reference is now made toFIG. 7 which shows stand 351 as viewed from the left side of header 25along line 7--7 and to FIG. 8 which shows a view of the stand 351 takenalong line 8--8 of FIG. 7. Stand 351 is comprised of a bracket 355including plates 360, 359 fixed to row unit frame 301. A leg 357 isdisposed between and is freely pivotally mounted at one end to bracket355 for movement between an elevated storage position and a loweredsupport position shown in full lines and dotted lines, respectively, inFIG. 7. Bracket 355 further includes a stop 358 against which leg 357abuts in the support position. Leg 357 is provided with a flanged foot363 including a central planar base 361 and a flanged outer rim 362surrounding base 361 on all four sides. Rim 362 reduces the friction offoot 363 with the ground when aligning the header with the harvester forattachment.

A stand 351 further includes a latch 365 for locking leg 357 in itsstorage position and in its support position and for serving as apivotable mounting for leg 357 in bracket 355. Latch 365 is generallyJ-shaped and includes a first or pivot arm 367 interconnecting andpivotably mounting leg 357 in bracket 355 and a second or locking arm369 for engaging and locking leg 357 alternatively in its storageposition and in its support position. Latch 365 further includes a coilspring 371 surrounding pivot arm 367 and engaging a stop 373. Stop 373is here shown as comprised of a washer coaxially mounted on leg 367 anda pin 375 inserted through pivot arm 367. As can be seen in FIG. 8, oneend of coil spring 371 engages an inner side of leg 357 and the otherend of the spring 371 engages washer 374 thereby biasing pivot arm 367to the right in FIG. 8.

Latch 365 is moveable between a storage lock position shown in fulllines in FIG. 7 and a support lock position shown in dotted lines inFIG. 7. In the storage lock position, locking arm 369 is insertedthrough a hole 377 in plate 359 and is in engagement with one side ofleg 360, thereby locking leg 357 against movement from its storageposition. In the support lock position, locking arm 369 is insertedthrough a hole 377 in plate 359 and through a hole 381 in leg 357,thereby locking leg 357 against movement from its support position.

In operation, when header 25 is attached to forage harvester 10, leg 357is maintained in a storage position. When it is desired to remove header25 from forage harvester 10, header 25 is hydraulically lowered (throughmeans not shown) to its operating position with the forward end thereofin engagement with the ground. Latch 365 is pulled (with one hand) tothe left (FIG. 8) against the bias of coil spring 371 to disengagelocking arm 369 from opening 377. When locking arm 369 is withdrawn, leg357 falls to its support position in engagement with stop 358 solely dueto the force of gravity. Leg 357 is then locked in this position bycounterclockwise rotation (FIG. 7) of latch 365 about pivot arm 367 andrelative to leg 357 and bracket 355 until locking arm 369 is inalignment with hole 379. Latch 365 is then released and due to the biasof coil spring 371, locking arm 369 is inserted through holes 379, 381.The foregoing procedure is also followed for moving stand 353 from itsstorage position to its standing position. With the stands in theirsupport position, the attaching bracket (not shown) for attaching rearframe 46 to the front of forage harvester 10 are disengaged. If themachine is on level ground, the feet of stands 351, 353 will engage theground.

To reattach header 25 to forage harvester 10, the forage harvester isdriven to an attachment position as near alignment as possible with therear end of header 25. More precise alignment of header 25 is possibleby slight transverse and longitudinal movement of header 25 on feet(foot 361) which movement is made easier due to the provision of flangerims (rim 362) on the feet. The height of the legs (leg 357)) isdetermined such that the vertical alignment of the rear frame 46 withthe front end of harvester 10 is sufficient to permit re-engagement ofthe mounting brackets (not shown) for header 25 on the forage harvester10.

The stand is simple to operate by providing a unified member forlatching and pivotally mounting leg 357. In addition, the movement ofleg 357 from its storage position to its support position, solely due tothe force of gravity, enables this operation to be accomplished throughthe use of one hand to retract latch 365, pivot it counterclockwise andrelease it into its support lock position. In addition, the use of alatch which is a permanent part of the stand avoids the risk that thelocking arm or pin may become lost.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that while this standhas particular application to attachments for agricultural equipmentsuch as forage harvesters and combines, the advantages thereof wouldfind utility in many other environments such as industrial constructionequipment and other applications.

I claim:
 1. In a header for a row crop harvester with a crop receivingthroat, said header comprising:a plurality of generally fore-and-aft,downwardly and forwardly inclined dividers, said dividers converging atthe rear ends thereof; a plurality of crop receiving, convergingpassageways defined between adjacent ones of said dividers, eachpassageway having a crop entry and crop exit at the forward and rearwardends thereof, respectively, said exits disposed adjacent said throat;cutter means disposed adjacent the crop entry of each passageway forsevering crop; a frame comprised of two sections; a substantiallycoplanar pair of planar conveyors respectively disposed on oppositesides of each passageway for conveying severed crop along saidpassageway and into said throat, a first and second pair of conveyorsmounted on one of said frame sections, and a third and fourth pair ofconveyors mounted on the other of said frame sections, said first,second, third and fourth pairs of conveyors corresponding to,respectively, first, second, third and fourth passageways of saidplurality of passageways, said first and second pairs of conveyorsinclined transversely and downwardly in a direction toward the third andfourth pair of conveyors, said third and fourth pair of conveyorsinclined transversely and downwardly in a direction toward said firstand second pair of conveyors; each said conveyor comprises an endlessloop means extending along one side of the passageway defined in partthereby for engaging and conveying crop from the crop entry to the cropexit of said passageway in conjunction with the endless loop meansextending along the other side of the passageway defined therebetween;the endless loop means of the outer conveyors of said second and thirdpairs of conveyors terminating substantially forward of the endless loopmeans of the inner conveyors of the second and third pairs of conveyors;the first and second passageways intersect forward of said throat andsaid third and fourth passageways intersect forward of said throat; andone of said dividers housing the inner conveyor of said first pair ofconveyors and the outer conveyor of said second pair of conveyors andanother of said dividers housing the inner conveyor of said fourth pairof conveyors and the outer conveyor of said third pair of conveyors,wherein the improvement comprises: each of said one and said anotherdividers having a rear tip extending substantially beyond the rear endof said endless loop means of said outer conveyors of said second andthird pair of conveyors and terminating near the intersection of saidpassageways, respectively.
 2. In a header for a row crop harvester witha crop receiving throat, said header comprising:a plurality of generallyfore-and-aft, downwardly and forwardly inclined crop dividers, saiddividers converging at the rear ends thereof; a plurality of cropreceiving passageways defined between adjacent ones of said cropdividers, each passageway having a crop entry and a crop exit at theforward and rearward ends thereof, respectively; a frame comprised oftwo sections; a coplanar pair of planar conveyors respectively disposedon opposite sides of each passageway for converging severed crop alongthe passageway and into said throat, a first and second adjacent pairsof said conveyors mounted on one of said frame sections and lying inparallel planes, a third and fourth pairs of adjacent conveyors mountedon the other of said frame sections and lying in parallel planes, saidfirst, second, third and fourth pairs of conveyors correspondingrespectively to a first, second, third and fourth passageways of saidplurality of passageways; each said conveyor comprises an endless loopmeans extending along one side of the passageway defined in part therebyfor engaging and conveying crop from the crop entry to the crop exit ofsaid passageway in conjunction with the endless loop means extendingalong the other side of the passageway defined therebetween, the endlessloop means of one of the conveyors of said first and second pair ofconveyors terminating substantially forward of the endless loop means ofthe opposed conveyor with which said one conveyor coacts to convey crop;and a first divider housing the outer conveyor of said first pair ofconveyors, a second divider housing the inner conveyor of said firstpair of conveyors and the outer conveyor of said second pair ofconveyors, a third divider housing the inner conveyor of said secondpair of conveyors and the inner conveyor of said third pair ofconveyors, a fourth divider housing the outer conveyor of said thirdpair of conveyors and the inner conveyor of said fourth pair ofconveyors, and a fifth divider housing the outer conveyor of said fourthpair of conveyors; wherein the improvement comprises: one of said first,second and third dividers having a rear tip extending substantiallybeyond the rear end of the forward terminating loop means.
 3. The headerof claim 2 wherein the forward terminating endless loop means is theendless loop means of the outer conveyor of said second pair ofconveyors, andsaid one of said first, second and third dividers is saidsecond divider.
 4. The header of claim 3 wherein the endless loop meansof the inner conveyor of said fourth pair of conveyors terminatingsubstantially forward of the endless loop means of the outer conveyor ofsaid fourth pair of conveyors, andthe fourth divider housing having arear tip extending substantially beyond the rear termination of saidinner conveyor of said fourth pair of conveyors.
 5. The header of claim4 wherein said second pair of conveyors is spaced above said first pairof conveyors.
 6. The header of claim 5 wherein said third pair ofconveyors is spaced above said fourth pair of conveyors.
 7. The headerof claims 2-5 or 6 wherein:each of said conveyors comprise drive meansincluding a rear drive shaft, and the inner conveyors of said first andsecond pairs of conveyors having a first common one of said rear driveshafts, and the inner conveyors of said third and fourth pair ofconveyors having a second common one of said rear drive shaft.
 8. Theheader of claim 7 wherein:each said rear drive shaft has a drive member,and said common rear drive shaft has a second drive member axiallyspaced thereon from said first drive member, each said conveyor drivemeans comprises a forward drive shaft having a drive member thereon,each said endless loop means at the forward end thereof in drivingengagement with said forward drive shaft drive member, the endless loopmeans of said inner conveyors of the first and second pairs of conveyorsin driving engagement respectively with the first and second drivemembers of said first common rear drive shaft, the endless loop means ofsaid third and fourth pairs of conveyors in driving engagement,respectively, the first and second drive members of said second commonrear drive shaft.
 9. The header of claims 2-6 or 8 wherein thepassageways of said pairs of conveyors on said one frame sectionintersect forward of said throat and said passageways of said pairs ofconveyors on said other frame section intersect forward of said throat,each said tips terminating at the respective intersections of thepassageways.
 10. The header of claim 2-5 or 6 wherein said first andsecond pairs of conveyors lie in parallel planes; andsaid third andfourth pairs of conveyors lie in parallel planes.
 11. In a multirowheader for a row crop harvester with a crop receiving throat, saidheader comprising:a plurality of generally fore-and-aft, downwardly andforwardly inclined crop dividers, said dividers converging at the rearends thereof; a crop receiving passageway defined between each adjacentpair of said dividers, each passageway having a crop entry and a cropexit at the forward and rearward ends thereof, respectively; a firstcoplanar pair of conveyors respectively disposed on opposite sides of afirst of said passageways; a second coplanar pair of conveyors disposedon opposite sides of a second of said passageways, said first and secondpairs of conveyors lying in parallel planes; each said conveyorcomprises an endless loop means extending along one side of thepassageway corresponding to said conveyor for engaging and convergingcrop from the crop entry to the crop exit of said correspondingpassageway in conjunction with the endless loop means extending alongthe opposite side of said corresponding passageway; the endless loopmeans of one of the conveyors of said first and second pairs ofconveyors terminating substantially forward of the endless loop means ofthe opposed conveyor with which said one conveyor coacts to convey crop;each said conveyor comprising drive means including a rear drive shaft;and a first of said plurality of dividers housing one conveyor of saidfirst pair of conveyors, a second of said plurality of dividers housingthe other conveyor of said first pair of conveyors and the adjacentconveyor of the second pair of conveyors, and a third of said pluralityof dividers housing the other conveyor of said second pair of conveyors;wherein the improvement comprises: one of the first, second and thirddividers housing said forward terminating endless loop means and havinga rear tip extending substantially beyond the rear end of said forwardterminating endless loop means.
 12. The improvement of claim 11wherein:the endless loop means on said one conveyor and said otherconveyor of said first and second pairs of conveyors, respectively,having a common one of said rear drive shafts; said drive means furthercomprises first and second drive means axially spaced on said commonrear drive shaft; the endless loop means of said one conveyor and saidother conveyor of said first and second pair of conveyors, respectively,in driving engagement, the rear ends of said second pair of conveyorsdisposed above and overlapping said first pair of conveyors.
 13. Theimprovement of claim 12 wherein said first and second passagewaysintersect forward of said throat, said tip terminating near and slightlyforward of the intersection of said passageways.
 14. The improvement ofclaims 11 or 13 wherein said one divider having said rear tip is thesecond divider.